Posted by Chester Morton / Sunday, 5 February 2017 / No comments
The council of Jerusalem
THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM
There were some who left Judea and went to spread the news
that the Gentiles who are converted must be circumcised before they could be
saved. However, Paul and Barnabas contested this doctrine. In order to settle
this matter, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to put the matter before
the Apostles and the elders of the church for a proper adjudication. The
gathering of the Apostles and elders is what is referred to as the Council of
Jerusalem.
When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem, there were still
others, like the Pharisees who were still insisting that the Gentiles must be
circumcised and must abide by the laws of Moses before they could be saved.
The Council therefore gathered to settle the matter and after
a lengthy debate, Peter stood up and addressed the meeting.
Peter reminded them about how, in the early days God used him
to preach to the Gentiles and how God blessed them with the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit without distinguishing between a Hebrew and a Gentile. He argued
that if God did not make any distinction why should they human beings. Peter
further argued that their own forefathers who did not obey those same laws
believed they would be saved by grace. Why then must they burden the Gentiles
with burdens they themselves could not bear? There was dead silence after Peter
had spoken. Paul and Barnabas also spoke about how many signs and wonders God
had used them to perform among the Gentiles.
After all these, James, passed a judgment that the Gentiles
must not be given any further burdens except to abstain from idols, from the
blood of strangled animals and to be chaste. This judgment pleased the Council
so they agreed to send some men to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch with
an official letter of the decision of the Council. Barsabbas and Silas were
chosen to follow Paul and Barnabas.
When the team arrived in Antioch, they gathered the people
together and read the letter out to them and they were very happy. Silas and
Barsabbas admonished them to remain strong and after they had strengthened them,
they departed back to Judea. However, Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch and
continued to preach the word of God.
WAYS IN WHICH THE
DECISION OF THE COUNCIL WAS SIGNIFICANT
1. The decision brought a closure to the question of
circumcision of the Gentiles before they could be saved.
2. It opened the flood gates for evangelism among the Gentiles.
3. From this point onward, the churches in the gentile land
enjoyed a long period of peace.
4. It also indicated that in the early days, James had assumed
a position of leadership in the church.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. a. How was the question of circumcision in the early
church settled?
b. In which three
ways was the decision of the Council significant?
2. a. What circumstances led to the decision of the Council
of Jerusalem that the Gentiles must not be burdened with circumcision?
b. In which three ways was the decision of the
Council significant?
